Job?

Today I'm having lunch with some friends who want me to help them on their website.  Hmmm...  am I ready to actually do any real work?

Farewell dinner

Last night, my old boss took me and his team out for my farewell dinner.  We couldn't schedule it before I left.  It was very nice of him and it was great seeing everyone.  I showed up with a nose ring and they actually bought it for a while.  suckers!  It was a great meal and good time. 

I feel I have to actually start doing something now, but I've got too much going on.  I've kept myself quite busy over the last 3.5 wks.  And there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.

Bluewater Grill in Redondo

Had lunch today at Bluewater Grill, which has been open for a while, but I've just never tried it.  It is next to Cheesecake Factory. 

Great view of the boats and a great Seafood Louie Salad.  There's a large bar and a firepit for happy hour.  I think this will become a great hangout.

MB Post in Manhattan Beach, CA

Went out last night with a friend for happy hour and tried this new place.  It is owned by the same family as Simmzy's, Tin Roof, & The Kettle.  The location had been Memphis, and before that a string of unsuccessful restaurants.  I think MB Post has finally got it right.

The decor is rustic with communal tables.  The bar side is nice and homey, although the other side with communal tables does have a bit of a cafeteria feel.  There is a good beer & wine selection, as well as cocktails.  We had a cheese plate which was good.  Then a great beet salad which was light and exactly what I expected.  But then our other choices:  Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower were a bit heavy.  They were drenched in butter and had cheese or oil on them.  So not the light dish I wanted.  We didn't get any entrees but they all seemed a bit on the heavy side. 

All in all, I'll definitely go back and check out the entrees.  If as I explore the menu, it stays on the heavy side, it is still a great place for a drink. 

Fantastic!

Nothing like leaving the house at noon and going for a long run in the middle of the day, because I can. 

Tea Party

Today I went to a fantastic afternoon tea that a good friend hosted.  She's quite the English tea aficionado.  She served 8 different kinds of sandwiches, 2 types of scones with clotted cream, jams, and lemon curd, and of course a few flavors of good tea.  It was a great day with some good friends, we talked for hours. 

Freakeconomics

I just finished listening to this on books on tape.

1) I'm glad I did this book on tape, because the topics droned on a lot.  Of the 6 hours of discs, I'd say 40-60% could have been edited out.  For example, the last chapter was on whether a name given to a child helped or hurt them through life.  Essentially, so called 'black names' like Precious tend to be given to children, from single moms who are young and less educated.  Further, names have a cycle to them -- affluent couples make a name popular and then the name starts the descend down to middle class and then lower class families.  There was a bit more to it than this, but this is basically the premise.  I can just be told this, I don't need someone to actually read roughly 100 names to make the point (top ten names by decade, ethnic background, etc)

2)  Authors do not necessary make good verbal readers.  In this case, hiring a professional would have been much better.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Just finished this book.  It is from the same author as Time Traveler's Wife.  It is a story about Twins among other things.  It immediately grips you and keeps you wanting to find out how the characters are connected.  In the middle, the story plateaued and took an odd turn.  Then the ending was somewhat surprising, but disturbing.  It's a good read.

Gjelina in Venice on Abbott Kinney

I went to lunch yesterday with a friend to Gjelina.  According to my friend, this place is booked solid at night, you can't get a reservation.  So we were the first to arrive for lunch, but the place quickly filled up.  We shared Skirt Steak Carpaccio, Burrata & Anchovy Crostini, Mussels, and a Mushroom & Goat Cheese Pizza.  All were good, although the Mussels weren't anything special.  The Crostini was quite good and light. 

All in all, I will go back, when I can get in. 

The pill makes me attracted to nerds???

There is an article in the Wall St Journal about the Chemistry of Attraction.  A new study has found that the type of man a woman is drawn to is know to change during her monthly cycle -- when a woman is fertile, she might look for a man with more masculine features.  Taking the pill, which alters your hormones, interferes with this natural dynamic, making less masculine men seem more attractive. 

So this is saying, that while liberated enough to have sex while finding Mr Right, without fear of pregnancy, such liberation may come at the price of finding someone less masculine.  Is this necessarily bad?  There seems to be too much testosterone in this world already.  

Lukshon @ Helms Bakery

Last night I went to Lukshon, a new restaurant at the Helms Bakery on the corner of Washington & Helms.  This place is Asian inspired and all plates are shared.  It is owned by the same people who own Father's Office which is next door. 

Price points are medium range for both wines and plates.  I would agree with the recent review that their rice dishes are among the least liked by my table.  Other dishes we had:  Pork Belly, Brussel Sprouts, Mussels, & Short Ribs.  Overall, too much spice.  I really didn't like what they did to the Brussel Sprouts.  Plus eating mussels with a green curry & rice is a bit advanced for me with chopsticks.  In keeping with my celebrity sightings, Brian Grazer did come in.

All in all, just OK.  I wouldn't seek this place out again.  Father's Office is better.

FishBar in Manhattan Beach & Jimmy Kimmel

Last night I went to the FishBar, which opened 4 weeks ago at the site of the old Baja Sharkey's.  (Baja moved to the old location of Upper Manhattan/Harry O's.)  It is a good place.  Food prices are in the $ 10-$12 range for entrees.  There are several fish tacos for appetizers and all were good.  The place had a good selection of beers and wines.  As a bonus, Jimmy Kimmel came in around 9pm.

I think the place will do well. It has a bit older crowd than Sharkey's which is a plus.  The owners also own a few fish places in Laguna & they own the Manhattan Creamery, the downtown ice cream parlor.

All in all, I will be going back.

Freedom!

It is towards the end of the third day of unemployment and finally I have the house to myself.  I've played general contractor this week, getting new windows in.  I had thought they would leave the place clean and shiny, but instead, many stickers on every window had to be taken off, then goo off, then windex, then much vacuuming and sweeping.  this not working is really like working.

today i continued with avoiding the maid.  there is a bit of guilt sitting around while she cleans around me so i tend to either help or go somewhere.  now finally quiet.   I need to book my flights to Norway, booked the hiking trip yesterday, now i need to get there...

El Segundo Farmer's Market

I went to the Farmer's market in El Segundo by the Whole Foods.  I have to say, pretty pathetic.  It was one row of booths, half were not food.  3 food stalls for lunch, including the Rajun Cajun truck.  Rajun Cajun was unbelievably slow and the rush hadn't even started.  The fruits/vegetable selection was minimal and not very good.  There was a petting zoo with pony rides.  So you can't bring your dog to the market, but a variety of sad looking farm animals is OK?  Since when did Llamas graze together with ducks & goats?

Anyway, the only highlight was a Ben & Jerry's truck giving out free tastes.  I hope the Manhattan Beach Farmer's market is better, but I think I'll have to make the trek up to Santa Monica once a week.  Honestly, Ralphs on a bad day is better than this market.

Drinking Urine????

I am not kidding, this is the first sentence of a Forbes article about how people are excessively measuring their workouts, sleep cycles, # of steps, etc

"A woman entrepreneur, who wishes to remain anonymous, drinks her first stream of urine every morning as a "natural form of tracking" in order to remind herself of what she ate and drank the night before."

First Stream - ooeww!  bet that's pungent

Shockingly she wants to remain anonymous,  I'll bet she's also single